Rebuilding Trust in Fragile States: Lessons from Lebanon’s Disaster Governance Failures

Abstract

Lebanon’s recent history has been characterized by recurring crises that have continually impeded its political, economic, and social recovery (Nasser et al,2024; Haddad,2024) The latest surge round of hostilities with Israel has once again devastated the country’s infrastructure and communities, worsening an already fragile situation with estimated $1 billion infrastructure damage and $4.6 billion damage in the housing sector (The World Bank. 2025). As the Lebanese government faces the challenge of rebuilding and restoring, it is essential to reflect on past reconstruction efforts, especially after the civil war, the 2006 conflict, and the Beirut port explosion. This paper revisits and expands on previous analyses of the relationship between state and non-state actors in Lebanon’s disaster response and recovery, particularly the work by Haddad (2020) and Haddad & Sakr (2022) on interorganizational dynamics. Their work revealed both the potential and the limits of collaborative governance in contexts marked by political fragmentation and institutional distrust. It also underscored the importance of three key dimensions in interorganizational response: (1) structural coordination mechanisms, (2) role clarity, and (3) trust among actors. By revisiting the case of the Beirut Port explosion and situating it within a broader comparative and conceptual framework, this paper examines the evolving patterns of interorganizational collaboration in crisis response and reconstruction. It assesses how lessons from Lebanon’s experience might inform more effective, trust-based, and sustainable disaster governance frameworks. The paper is divided into three parts: Part One revisits the primary literature on disaster response in fragile contexts; Part Two reviews key insights from prior research on Lebanon’s disaster response networks; and Part three offers conclusions and recommendations for strengthening interorganizational relations in contexts of fragility.